AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal stepped down as the chief minister of Delhi and named Atishi as his successor. The move, months ahead of the Assembly polls, is to repackage the AAP by getting a taint-free person as its face even as the hands pulling the strings remain the same.
An adviser to Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia then, Atishi is said to have added the know-how to all the education initiatives of the Delhi government.
Whichever way you cut it due process loses. Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal who is not trusted by the Supreme Court to enter his office or sign a file has today made a decision that will be supremely consequential for New Delhi. Kejriwal has unambiguously entrusted himself with the delicate task of deciding on the people’s behalf who will replace him as chief minister. But the crown will sit uneasily atop Atishi’s coiffed head.
As Kejriwal’s “selected stand-in”, Atishi’s legitimacy to hold office is being questioned by rivals. This is unfair to her and to Delhi’s voters. Even if she is to rule for five months, wouldn’t it have been so much better if the succession had been put to an honest vote in the AAP legislature party? What if other deserving candidates enjoyed the confidence of the legislators? This we will never know.
